Information processing apparatus, communication system, information processing method, and program

ABSTRACT

The efficiency of wireless communication is improved. 
     A communication system includes a first information processing apparatus and a second information processing apparatus. The first information processing apparatus controls to determine an information amount to be used for a receipt acknowledgment response to packets to be transmitted to a second information processing apparatus on the basis of information relating to the packets and notifies the second information processing apparatus of that determined information amount. The second information processing apparatus controls to return the receipt acknowledgment response to the packets transmitted from the first information processing apparatus to the first information processing apparatus on the basis of the information amount notified from the first information processing apparatus.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/777,425, filed May 18, 2018, which is based on PCT filingPCT/JP2016/077798, filed on Sep. 20, 2016, which claims priority to JP2015-233003, filed Nov. 30, 2015, the entire contents of each areincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present technology relates to an information processing apparatus.In more detail, the present technology relates to an informationprocessing apparatus, a communication system, an information processingmethod, and a program for causing a computer to execute the method,which exchange information using wireless communication.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventionally, there is a wireless communication technology to exchangeinformation using wireless communication. For example, a standardrelated to wireless local area network (LAN), namely, the Institute ofElectrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 has been spreading.

In addition, technologies for improving communication efficiency ofwireless communication have been proposed. For example, a technology hasbeen proposed in which a plurality of packets is aggregated to betransmitted and a block acknowledgment (ACK) is received as a responsethereto (for example, refer to Non-Patent Document 1).

CITATION LIST Non-Patent Document

Non-Patent Document 1: IEEE 802.11-2012

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention

In the above-described conventional technologies, an informationprocessing apparatus on a transmitting side can judge whether aplurality of packets needs to be retransmitted by aggregating theplurality of packets to transmit and then receiving a Block ACK (BA) asa response thereto.

Here, in the specifications currently employed, a fixed length of 64bits is used as the size of a BA bitmap. Therefore, for example, in acase where the number of packets that need to be transmitted is largerthan the size of the BA bitmap (64 bits), the transmission of a newpacket may be blocked. For example, it is not possible to simultaneouslytransmit packets whose sequence numerals are separated by 64 or more. Inaddition, for example, the number of packets that can be aggregated mayalso be restricted. In these cases, the efficiency of wirelesscommunication may decrease. Accordingly, it is important toappropriately set the size of the BA bitmap such that the efficiency ofwireless communication is improved.

The present technology has been created in view of such a situation andaims to improve the efficiency of wireless communication.

Solutions to Problems

The present technology has been made to eliminate the above-mentioneddisadvantages and a first aspect thereof is an information processingapparatus, an information processing method thereof, and a program forcausing a computer to execute the method, including a control unit thatcontrols to determine an information amount to be used for a receiptacknowledgment response to packets to be transmitted on the basis ofinformation relating to the packets. This configuration haseffectiveness in that the information amount to be used for the receiptacknowledgment response to the packets to be transmitted is determinedon the basis of the information relating to the packets.

In addition, in this first aspect, the information relating to thepackets to be transmitted may be designated as the number of the packetsto be transmitted or a length from a start sequence numeral to an endsequence numeral among sequence numerals corresponding to the packets tobe transmitted. This configuration has effectiveness in that theinformation amount to be used for the receipt acknowledgment response tothe packets to be transmitted is determined on the basis of the numberof the packets to be transmitted or the length from the start sequencenumeral to the end sequence numeral among the sequence numeralscorresponding to the packets to be transmitted.

In addition, in the first aspect, the packets to be transmitted may bedesignated as packets that have not been successfully transmitted to anappliance as a transmission destination of the packets. Thisconfiguration has effectiveness in that packets that have not beensuccessfully transmitted to the appliance as the transmissiondestination of the packets are designated as the packets to betransmitted.

In addition, in the first aspect, the control unit may control toconcatenate packets in agreement with the determined information amountamong the packets to be transmitted and transmit the concatenatedpackets to an appliance as a transmission destination. Thisconfiguration has effectiveness in that, among the packets to betransmitted, the packets in agreement with the determined informationamount are concatenated and transmitted to the appliance as thetransmission destination.

In addition, in the first aspect, the control unit may control toconcatenate the packets to be transmitted and transmit the concatenatedpackets to an appliance as a transmission destination, while determininga size of a bitmap of a Block ACK to be returned to the informationprocessing apparatus by the appliance as the information amount. Thisconfiguration has effectiveness in that the packets to be transmittedare concatenated and transmitted to the appliance as the transmissiondestination and the size of the bitmap of the Block ACK to be returnedto the information processing apparatus by this appliance is determined.

In addition, in the first aspect, the control unit may notify anappliance as a transmission destination of the packets of the determinedinformation amount. This configuration has effectiveness in that thedetermined information amount is notified to the appliance as thetransmission destination of the packet.

In addition, in the first aspect, the control unit may include thedetermined information amount into a predetermined frame to transmit tothe appliance. This configuration has effectiveness in that thedetermined information amount is included into the predetermined frameand transmitted.

In addition, in the first aspect, the control unit may include thedetermined information amount into one of an ADDBA Request, a dataframe, a Block ACK Request, and at least one of a plurality of frames ina concatenated frame in which the plurality of frames are concatenated,to transmit to the appliance. This configuration has effectiveness inthat the determined information amount is included into one of the ADDBARequest, the data frame, the Block ACK Request, and at least one of aplurality of frames in a concatenated frame in which the plurality offrames are concatenated, and transmitted to the appliance.

In addition, in the first aspect, in a case where an information amountdifferent from the information amount is notified from the applianceafter notifying the information amount, the control unit may newlydetermine the different information amount as the information amount tobe used for the receipt acknowledgment response. This configuration haseffectiveness in that, in a case where an information amount differentfrom the information amount is notified from the appliance as thetransmission destination after the information amount is notified to theappliance, the different information amount is newly determined as theinformation amount to be used for the receipt acknowledgment response.

In addition, in the first aspect, the control unit may control todetermine the information amount for the packets each time the packetsare transmitted to an appliance as a transmission destination and notifythe appliance of the determined information amount. This configurationhas effectiveness in that, each time the packets are transmitted to theappliance as the transmission destination, the information amount forthese packets is determined and the determined information amount isnotified to the appliance as the transmission destination.

In addition, in the first aspect, the control unit may determine theinformation amount to be used when an appliance as a transmissiondestination of the packets returns the receipt acknowledgment response.This configuration has effectiveness in that the information amount tobe used when the appliance as the transmission destination of the packetreturns the receipt acknowledgment response is determined.

In addition, in the first aspect, in a case where the receiptacknowledgment response that is compressed is received from theappliance, the control unit may acquire contents of the compressedreceipt acknowledgment response that has been received on the basis ofthe determined information amount. This configuration has effectivenessin that, in a case where the compressed receipt acknowledgment responseis received from the appliance as the transmission destination, thecontents of this compressed receipt acknowledgment response is acquiredon the basis of the determined information amount.

In addition, a second aspect of the present technology is an informationprocessing apparatus, an information processing method thereof, and aprogram for causing a computer to execute the method, including acontrol unit that controls to determine an information amount to be usedfor a receipt acknowledgment response to packets transmitted from anappliance as a transmission source of the packets on the basis of aninformation amount to be used for the receipt acknowledgment response tothe packets notified from the appliance. This configuration haseffectiveness in that the information amount to be used for the receiptacknowledgment response for the packets transmitted from the applianceas the transmission source of the packets is determined on the basis ofthe information amount notified from this appliance.

In addition, in the second aspect, in a case where the informationamount notified from the appliance exceeds performance of theinformation processing apparatus related to wireless communication, thecontrol unit may determine an information amount different from theinformation amount notified from the appliance within a range of theperformance and notify the appliance of the determined informationamount. This configuration has effectiveness in that, in a case wherethe notified information amount exceeds the performance of theinformation processing apparatus related to wireless communication, aninformation amount different from the notified information amount isdetermined within the range of the performance and notified to theappliance.

In addition, a third aspect of the present technology is an informationprocessing apparatus, an information processing method thereof, and aprogram for causing a computer to execute the method, including acontrol unit that controls to compress the receipt acknowledgmentrequest to transmit on the basis of an information amount to be used fora receipt acknowledgment response in a case where the receiptacknowledgment response to received packets is to be transmitted. Thisconfiguration has effectiveness in that, in a case where the receiptacknowledgment response to the received packets is to be transmitted,the receipt acknowledgment request is compressed and transmitted on thebasis of the information amount to be used for the receiptacknowledgment response.

In addition, a fourth aspect of the present technology is acommunication system, an information processing method thereof, and aprogram for causing a computer to execute the method, including: a firstinformation processing apparatus that determines an information amountto be used for a receipt acknowledgment response to packets to betransmitted to a second information processing apparatus on the basis ofinformation relating to the packets and notifies the second informationprocessing apparatus of the determined information amount; and thesecond information processing apparatus that returns the receiptacknowledgment response to the packets transmitted from the firstinformation processing apparatus to the first information processingapparatus on the basis of the information amount notified from the firstinformation processing apparatus. This configuration has effectivenessin that the first information processing apparatus determines theinformation amount to be used for the receipt acknowledgment response tothe packets to be transmitted to the second information processingapparatus on the basis of the information relating to these packets andnotifies the second information processing apparatus of this determinedinformation amount, while the second information processing apparatusreturns the receipt acknowledgment response to the packets transmittedfrom the first information processing apparatus to the first informationprocessing apparatus on the basis of that information amount notifiedfrom the first information processing apparatus.

Effects of the Invention

According to the present technology, an excellent effect of improvingthe efficiency of wireless communication can be exerted. Note that theeffects described herein are not necessarily limited and any effectsdescribed in the present disclosure may be applied.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configurationexample of an information processing apparatus 100 according to anembodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating comparative examples illustratingexchanges between appliances as the foundation of the presenttechnology.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a format of a frameexchanged between the information processing apparatuses according tothe embodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a format of a Block ACKframe exchanged between the information processing apparatuses accordingto the embodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case of determining asize of a BA bitmap using an ADDBA Request and an ADDBA Responseexchanged between the information processing apparatuses according tothe embodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of compression in a casewhere the information processing apparatus on a receiving side accordingto the embodiment of the present technology compresses the BA bitmap totransmit.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of notification in a casewhere the information processing apparatus on the receiving sideaccording to the embodiment of the present technology notifies the sizeof the BA bitmap.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of compression in a casewhere the information processing apparatus on the receiving sideaccording to the embodiment of the present technology compresses the BAbitmap to transmit.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case of determining thesize of the BA bitmap using a data frame exchanged between theinformation processing apparatuses according to the embodiment of thepresent technology.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case of determiningthe size of the BA bitmap using a data frame exchanged between theinformation processing apparatuses according to the embodiment of thepresent technology.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process procedure ofa determination process of determining the size of the BA bitmaprequested by the information processing apparatus 100 according to theembodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process procedure ofa determination process of determining the size of the BA bitmap to beused for a return by the information processing apparatus 100 accordingto the embodiment of the present technology.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process procedure ofa determination process of determining whether the informationprocessing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the presenttechnology compresses the BA bitmap to transmit.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematicconfiguration of a smartphone.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematicconfiguration of a car navigation apparatus.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematicconfiguration of a wireless access point.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Modes for carrying out the present technology (hereinafter, referred toas embodiments) will be described below. The description will be givenin the following order.

1. Embodiment (an example of determining the size of a Block ACK (BA)bitmap for packets to be transmitted on the basis of informationrelating to these packets)

2. Application Examples

1. Embodiment

[Configuration Example of Information Processing Apparatus]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configurationexample of an information processing apparatus 100 according to anembodiment of the present technology.

The information processing apparatus 100 is provided with a dataprocessing unit 110, a signal processing unit 120, a wireless interfaceunit 130, an antenna 140, a storage unit 150, and a control unit 160.

The data processing unit 110 processes various types of data on thebasis of the control of the control unit 160. For example, at the timeof data transmission, the data processing unit 110 performs an additionprocess for a media access control (MAC) header, an error detectioncode, and the like on data from an upper stage to generate a packet forwireless transmission. Then, the data processing unit 110 supplies thisgenerated packet to the signal processing unit 120.

In addition, for example, at the time of data reception, the dataprocessing unit 110 performs processes such as analysis of a header anddetection of a packet error on a bit string received from the signalprocessing unit 120 and supplies the processed data to the upper stage.Furthermore, for example, the data processing unit 110 notifies thecontrol unit 160 of an analysis result of the header, a detection resultof the packet error, and the like.

The signal processing unit 120 performs various types of signalprocesses on the basis of the control of the control unit 160. Forexample, at the time of data transmission, the signal processing unit120 encodes input data from the data processing unit 110 on the basis ofcoding and a modulation scheme set by the control unit 160 and adds apreamble and a physical (PHY) header thereto. Then, the signalprocessing unit 120 supplies a transmission symbol stream produced bythe above signal process to the wireless interface unit 130.

In addition, for example, at the time of data reception, the signalprocessing unit 120 detects the preamble and the PHY header of areceived symbol stream received from the wireless interface unit 130 andthen performs a decoding process thereon to supply to the dataprocessing unit 110. Furthermore, for example, the signal processingunit 120 notifies the control unit 160 of a detection result of the PHYheader, and the like.

The wireless interface unit 130 is an interface for connecting toanother information processing apparatus and transmitting and receivingvarious types of information using wireless communication on the basisof the control of the control unit 160. For example, at the time of datatransmission, the wireless interface unit 130 converts an input from thesignal processing unit 120 into an analog signal and carries outamplification, filtering, and up-conversion to a predetermined frequencythereon to send to the antenna 140.

In addition, for example, at the time of data reception, the wirelessinterface unit 130 performs a process opposite to that at the time ofdata transmission on an input from the antenna 140 and supplies aprocessing result thereof to the signal processing unit 120.

The storage unit 150 has a role as a work area for data processes by thecontrol unit 160 and a function as a storage medium holding varioustypes of data. For example, a storage medium such as a nonvolatilememory, a magnetic disk, an optical disc, or a magneto optical (MO) diskcan be used as the storage unit 150. Note that, for example, anelectrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) or anerasable programmable ROM (EPROM) can be used as the nonvolatile memory.In addition, for example, a hard disk or a disc-shaped magneticsubstance disk can be used as the magnetic disk. In addition, forexample, a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc recordable(DVD-R), a Blu-Ray disc (BD (registered trademark)) can be used as theoptical disc.

The control unit 160 controls a reception action and a transmissionaction of each of the data processing unit 110, the signal processingunit 120, and the wireless interface unit 130. For example, the controlunit 160 transfers information between respective units, setscommunication parameters, and schedules packets for the data processingunit 110.

For example, the control unit 160 controls to concatenate packets to betransmitted and transmit the concatenated packets to an appliance as atransmission destination. In this case, the control unit 160 controls todetermine an information amount (for example, the size of a Block ACK(BA) bitmap) to be used for a receipt acknowledgment response (forexample, a block acknowledgment (ACK)) to those packets to betransmitted on the basis of information relating to these packets. Here,the information relating to these packets to be transmitted is, forexample, the number of the packets to be transmitted or a length from astart sequence numeral to an end sequence numeral among sequencenumerals corresponding to the packets to be transmitted.

Comparative Example

Information exchange using the Institute of Electrical and ElectronicEngineers (IEEE) 802.11 will be described here. In order to improve thecommunication efficiency, IEEE 802.11 uses a technology in which aplurality of packets are aggregated to be transmitted and a Block ACK isreceived as a response thereto. In addition, in the specificationscurrently employed, a fixed length of 64 bits is used as the size of theBA bitmap. Accordingly, FIG. 2 illustrates comparative examples(comparative examples to the embodiment of the present technology) in acase where communication is performed using such a Block ACK.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the comparative examples illustratingexchanges between appliances as the foundation of the presenttechnology. In FIG. 2, the exchange of information between an accesspoint (AP) and a station (STA) is illustrated as an example.

In a of FIG. 2, a comparative example in the case of using an ImmediateBlock ACK is illustrated. In a of FIG. 2, an example of a case where theAP transmits packets with Sequence Numbers=1 to 64 to the STA and a partthereof (Sequence Numbers=1 to 5) results in packets to be retransmittedis illustrated. That is, in a of FIG. 2, the AP transmits packets withSequence Numbers=1 to 64 waiting for transmission (21) to the STA (11).Then, the STA transmits a Block ACK for those packets to the AP (12). Inthis case, it is assumed that the STA has failed to receive a part ofthe packets (Sequence Numbers=1 to 5).

Here, the AP has packets with Sequence Numbers=65 to 128 waiting fortransmission (22). However, the AP cannot transmit the packets with theSequence Numbers=65 to 128 waiting for transmission (22) to the STAuntil the transmission of the packets to be retransmitted (SequenceNumbers=1 to 5) is successful.

Accordingly, the AP transmits the packets to be retransmitted (SequenceNumbers=1 to 5) to the STA (13). Then, the STA transmits the Block ACKfor those packets to the AP (14). In this case, it is assumed that thereception of these retransmitted packets (Sequence Numbers=1 to 5) hasfailed.

Therefore, the AP transmits again the packets to be retransmitted(Sequence Numbers=1 to 5) to the STA (15). Then, the STA transmits theBlock ACK for those packets to the AP (16). In this case, it is assumedthat the reception of these retransmitted packets (Sequence Numbers=1 to5) is successful.

In this manner, in a case where the reception of the packets (SequenceNumbers=1 to 64) is successful, the STA transmits the Block ACK to thateffect to the AP (16). Therefore, the AP can transmit the packets withthe Sequence Numbers=65 to 128 waiting for transmission (22) to the STA(17). In addition, the STA transmits the Block ACK for those packets tothe AP (18).

In b of FIG. 2, a comparative example in the case of using a DelayedBlock ACK is illustrated. In b of FIG. 2, an example of a case where theAP transmits packets with Sequence Numbers=1 to 64 to the STA and a partthereof (Sequence Numbers=1 to 5) results in packets to be retransmittedis illustrated. That is, in b of FIG. 2, the AP transmits packets withSequence Numbers=1 to 64 waiting for transmission (41) to the STA (31).The AP also transmits a block acknowledgment request (BAR) for thosepackets to the STA (32). Then, the STA transmits the Block ACK for thosepackets to the AP (33). In this case, it is assumed that the STA hasfailed to receive a part of the packets (Sequence Numbers=1 to 5).

Here, the AP has packets with Sequence Numbers=65 to 128 waiting fortransmission (42). However, the AP cannot transmit the packets with theSequence Numbers=65 to 128 waiting for transmission (42) to the STAuntil the transmission of the packets to be retransmitted (SequenceNumbers=1 to 5) is successful.

Accordingly, the AP transmits the packets to be retransmitted (SequenceNumbers=1 to 5) to the STA (34). The AP also transmits the BAR for thosepackets to the STA (35). Then, the STA transmits the Block ACK for thosepackets to the AP (36). In this case, it is assumed that the receptionof these retransmitted packets (Sequence Numbers=1 to 5) has failed.

Therefore, the AP transmits again the packets to be retransmitted(Sequence Numbers=1 to 5) to the STA (37). The AP also transmits the BARfor those packets to the STA (38). Then, the STA transmits the Block ACKfor those packets to the AP (39). In this case, it is assumed that thereception of these retransmitted packets (Sequence Numbers=1 to 5) issuccessful.

In this manner, in a case where the reception of the packets (SequenceNumbers=1 to 64) is successful, the STA transmits the Block ACK to thateffect to the AP (39). Therefore, the AP can transmit the packets withthe Sequence Numbers=65 to 128 waiting for transmission (42) to the STA(40).

In this manner, since the size of the BA bitmap is 64, an apparatus on atransmitting side (AP) cannot transmit a new frame in some cases untilthese packets are deemed as successful transmissions. That is, in a casewhere packets that need to be transmitted are larger than the size ofthe BA bitmap, the transmission of a new frame may be blocked. Inaddition, since the size of the BA bitmap is 64, an apparatus on thetransmitting side (AP) cannot simultaneously transmit packets whoseSequence Numbers are separated by 64 or more. Furthermore, the number offrames that can be aggregated may also be restricted.

Accordingly, the embodiment of the present technology will indicate anexample in which the size of the BA bitmap is appropriately set suchthat the efficiency of wireless communication is improved. That is, theembodiment of the present technology will indicate an example forproviding a protocol function for appropriately determining the size ofthe BA bitmap.

[Example of Frame Format]

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a format of a frameexchanged between the information processing apparatuses according tothe embodiment of the present technology.

A frame illustrated in a of FIG. 3 is made up of a PHY header 201, a MACheader 202, a DATA 203, and a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) 204.

As illustrated in b of FIG. 3, a Starting Sequence Number 205 and aBitmap Size 206 are saved In the DATA 203.

The Starting Sequence Number 205 means a start sequence numeral amongsequence numerals corresponding to packets to be transmitted.

The Bitmap Size 206 means an information amount (for example, the sizeof the BA bitmap) to be used for a receipt acknowledgment response (forexample, BA) to packets to be transmitted.

For example, it is possible to exchange the frame illustrated in a ofFIG. 3 at a timing when some information is exchanged between theinformation processing apparatus on a transmitting side and theinformation processing apparatus on a receiving side. For example, in acase where Capability is exchanged in Handshake, the frame illustratedin a of FIG. 3 can be exchanged. In this manner, the Starting SequenceNumber 205 and the Bitmap Size 206 can be notified to another applianceby exchanging the frame illustrated in a of FIG. 3.

For example, the frame illustrated in a of FIG. 3 can be exchanged as anADDBA Request 410 and an ADDBA Response 420 illustrated in FIG. 5, adata frame 470 illustrated in FIG. 9, and a BAR 490 illustrated in FIG.10.

Here, according to the current IEEE 802.11 specifications, the maximumnumber of packets that can be represented by the BA bitmap is 64 asdescribed earlier. Therefore, in order to represent the number ofpackets equal to or greater than 64, it is necessary to newly defineanother frame. Accordingly, FIG. 4 illustrates an example ofrepresenting 64 or more packets using a plurality of existing Block ACKframes.

[Example of Format of Block ACK Frame]

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a format of the Block ACKframe exchanged between the information processing apparatuses accordingto the embodiment of the present technology.

A bit of a Multi BA 325 is newly arranged in a Reserved area of a blockacknowledgment (BA) control 320 (fields 321 to 327) in the Block ACKframe (fields 311 to 315, 320, 330) illustrated in FIG. 4. With thisconfiguration, the existing Block ACK frame can be extended to representthe bitmap of 64 or more packets.

The maximum value of the bitmap that can be saved in one Block ACK frameis 128 octets. Therefore, in a case where the information processingapparatus on the transmitting side requests a size of 128 octets ormore, the information processing apparatus on the receiving sidetransmits a plurality of Block ACK frames. In this case, the informationprocessing apparatus on the receiving side may concatenate (aggregate)the plurality of Block ACKs to transmit.

Here, in a case where the information processing apparatus on thereceiving side transmits a plurality of Block ACK frames, it isnecessary to enable the information processing apparatus on thetransmitting side to distinguish which packet to which packet constitutea bitmap corresponding to each frame.

Accordingly, FIG. 4 illustrates an example of utilizing a field used asTID INFO in a BA Control (corresponding to the BA Control 320) in theexisting Block ACK frame. For example, in a case where the bit of the BAControl 320 is settled, the TID INFO is read as an identifier calledMulti-BA INFO such that each Block ACK frame can be identified.

Meanwhile, a Block ACK Starting Sequence Control 331 and a Block ACKBitmap 332 are saved in a BA Information 330 of the Block ACK frame(fields 311 to 315, 320, 330) illustrated in FIG. 4. The Block ACKStarting Sequence Control 331 and the Block ACK Bitmap 332 will bedescribed in detail with reference to FIG. 6 and other drawings.

[Example of Determining Size of BA Bitmap in ADDBA Sequence]

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case of determining thesize of the BA bitmap using an ADDBA Request and an ADDBA Responseexchanged between the information processing apparatuses according tothe embodiment of the present technology. That is, FIG. 5 illustrates anexample of a case of determining the size of the BA bitmap in an ADDBAsequence.

In FIG. 5, an appliance on a traffic (data) transmitting side isillustrated as an information processing apparatus 401 on thetransmitting side and an appliance on a traffic receiving side isillustrated as an information processing apparatus 402 on the receivingside. The information processing apparatus 401 on the transmitting sideand the information processing apparatus 402 on the receiving sidecorrespond to the information processing apparatus 100 illustrated inFIG. 1. Note that the information processing apparatus 401 on thetransmitting side is an example of a first information processingapparatus described in the claims. Meanwhile, the information processingapparatus 402 on the receiving side is an example of a secondinformation processing apparatus described in the claims.

The information processing apparatus 401 on the transmitting side can bedesignated as, for example, an access point (AP) that provides awireless communication service to one or a plurality of appliancesconnected to the own apparatus (including the information processingapparatus 402 on the receiving side). In addition, the informationprocessing apparatus 402 on the receiving side can be designated as, forexample, a station (STA) that is connected to the information processingapparatus 401 on the transmitting side to perform wirelesscommunication.

For example, the information processing apparatus 401 on thetransmitting side and the information processing apparatus 402 on thereceiving side are connected to each other via wireless communication soas to be able to directly transmit and receive frames. In addition, forexample, by transmitting and receiving the ADDBA Request and the ADDBAResponse between the information processing apparatus 401 on thetransmitting side and the information processing apparatus 402 on thereceiving side, preparations for transmitting and receiving the BAR andthe BA can be completed. Upon completion of such preparations, theinformation processing apparatus 402 on the receiving side is put into astate capable of receiving the BAR and returning the BA.

First, the information processing apparatus 401 on the transmitting sidedetermines the size of the BA bitmap to be requested to the informationprocessing apparatus 402 on the receiving side. A method for determiningthe size of the BA bitmap mentioned above will be described in detailwith reference to FIG. 11.

Subsequently, the information processing apparatus 401 on thetransmitting side requests the information processing apparatus 402 onthe receiving side of a Starting Sequence Number 411 and that determinedsize of the BA bitmap (requested Bitmap Size 412). In this case, forexample, the information processing apparatus 401 on the transmittingside can include the Starting Sequence Number 411 and the requestedBitmap Size 412 into the ADDBA Request 410 to transmit to theinformation processing apparatus 402 on the receiving side. Here, theStarting Sequence Number 411 and the requested Bitmap Size 412correspond to the Starting Sequence Number 205 and the Bitmap Size 206illustrated in b of FIG. 3.

In addition, the information processing apparatus 402 on the receivingside can acquire the start sequence numeral of the packets to betransmitted from the information processing apparatus 402 on thereceiving side on the basis of the Starting Sequence Number 411 includedin the ADDBA Request 410. Then, the information processing apparatus 402on the receiving side includes the acquired start sequence numeral intoa Starting Sequence Number 421.

Furthermore, the information processing apparatus 402 on the receivingside can grasp the size of the BA bitmap requested from the informationprocessing apparatus 401 on the transmitting side on the basis of therequested Bitmap Size 412 included in the ADDBA Request 410. Then, theinformation processing apparatus 402 on the receiving side judgeswhether transmission (transmission from the own apparatus) with the sizeof the BA bitmap requested from the information processing apparatus 401on the transmitting side is feasible.

In a case where transmission with that requested size of the BA bitmapis feasible, the information processing apparatus 402 on the receivingside includes the same value as this requested size of the BA bitmapinto a usable Bitmap Size 422. On the other hand, in a case wheretransmission with that requested size of the BA bitmap is not feasible,the information processing apparatus 402 on the receiving side includesa value of the maximum size of the bitmap that can be secured by the ownapparatus into the usable Bitmap Size 422. Here, the value of themaximum size of the bitmap that can be secured by the own apparatusfalls within the range of the size of the BA bitmap requested from theinformation processing apparatus 401 on the transmitting side.

In this manner, the information processing apparatus 402 on thereceiving side returns the ADDBA Response 420 in which the respectivevalues are saved in the Starting Sequence Number 411 and the usableBitmap Size 422 to the information processing apparatus 401 on thetransmitting side.

For example, a case where the information processing apparatus 402 onthe receiving side can secure only a size smaller than the size of theBA bitmap requested from the information processing apparatus 401 on thetransmitting side due to the physical constraints of the own apparatusis also supposed. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the ADDBARequest 410 and the ADDBA Response 420 are exchanged between theinformation processing apparatus 401 on the transmitting side and theinformation processing apparatus 402 on the receiving side. With thisconfiguration, the information processing apparatus 402 on the receivingside can notify the information processing apparatus 401 on thetransmitting side that the information processing apparatus 402 on thereceiving side can secure only a size smaller than the size of the BAbitmap requested from the information processing apparatus 401 on thetransmitting side.

Here, it is also supposed that the information processing apparatus onthe receiving side is not provided with a specific function (a functionof setting the size of the BA bitmap requested from the informationprocessing apparatus on the transmitting side). In this case, the usableBitmap Size 422 is not included in the ADDBA Response 420 received bythe information processing apparatus 401 on the transmitting side.Accordingly, in a case where the ADDBA Response 420 not including theusable Bitmap Size 422 is received, the information processing apparatus401 on the transmitting side can judge that the information processingapparatus on the receiving side is not compatible with the specificfunction. Then, in a case where it is judged that the informationprocessing apparatus on the receiving side is not compatible with thespecific function, the information processing apparatus 401 on thetransmitting side can judge that a size of 64 bits is to be used for theBA bitmap.

In this manner, the ADDBA Request 410 and the ADDBA Response 420 areexchanged between the information processing apparatus 401 on thetransmitting side and the information processing apparatus 402 on thereceiving side. In addition, each piece of information exchanged in thismanner is held in a storage unit (equivalent to the storage unit 150illustrated in FIG. 1) of each appliance to be used. With thisconfiguration, it is possible to appropriately set the size of the BAbitmap that can be exchanged between the information processingapparatus 401 on the transmitting side and the information processingapparatus 402 on the receiving side.

In addition, on the basis of the size of the BA bitmap thus set, theinformation processing apparatus 402 on the receiving side can transmitthe BA for the packets transmitted from the information processingapparatus 401 on the transmitting side to the information processingapparatus 401 on the transmitting side.

Here, the BA only needs to be capable of conveying information relatingto an acknowledged packet. For example, in a case where portions thatare not acknowledged are consecutive, the information amount can bedecreased by compressing those portions. For example, the BA bitmap canbe compressed to be transmitted. An example of this case is illustratedin FIGS. 6 and 8.

Here, in a case where the BA bitmap is compressed to be transmitted, itis necessary to make an exchange beforehand between the informationprocessing apparatus on the transmitting side and the informationprocessing apparatus on the receiving side. For example, the informationprocessing apparatus on the receiving side can save, in the DATA 203illustrated in a of FIG. 3, the fact that the own apparatus is providedwith a compression function and has a possibility of compressing the BAbitmap to transmit and can notify the information processing apparatuson the transmitting side of this fact. Alternatively, this fact may benotified through an exchange made at another timing between theinformation processing apparatus on the transmitting side and theinformation processing apparatus on the receiving side.

[Example of Compressing BA Bitmap to Transmit]

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of compression in a casewhere the information processing apparatus on the receiving sideaccording to the embodiment of the present technology compresses the BAbitmap to transmit.

In a of FIG. 6, an example in which the information processing apparatus401 on the transmitting side transmits a data frame 430 to theinformation processing apparatus 402 on the receiving side and theinformation processing apparatus 402 on the receiving side transmits aBlock ACK 440 for the data frame 430 to the information processingapparatus 401 on the transmitting side is illustrated.

As illustrated in a of FIG. 6, a Starting Sequence Number 441, a BitmapSize 442, and a Bitmap 443 are saved in the Block ACK 440. These piecesof information correspond to the respective pieces of information in theBA Information 330 illustrated in FIG. 4.

The Starting Sequence Number 441 means a start sequence numeral amongsequence numerals corresponding to packets constituting the data frame430.

The Bitmap Size 442 refers to the size of the BA bitmap included in theBlock ACK 440 for the data frame 430. This size is set by the exchangeillustrated in FIG. 5.

The Bitmap 443 refers to bitmap information indicating the ACK for thedata frame 430. For example, information on the size of the BA bitmapset by the exchange illustrated in FIG. 5 (for example, respectivepieces of the information (0 and 1) illustrated in b of FIG. 6) is savedas the Bitmap 443.

In b of FIG. 6, an example of the bitmap 443 saved in the Block ACK 440is illustrated. In the example illustrated in b of FIG. 6, “1” is savedin the area of a sequence numeral corresponding to a packet which hasbeen successfully received among the packets constituting the data frame430. Meanwhile, “0” is saved in the area of a sequence numeralcorresponding to a packet which has failed to be received among thepackets constituting the data frame 430.

In b of FIG. 6, an example of a case where only the eighth packet fromthe left is acknowledged (that is, “1” is saved in the eighth area fromthe left) is illustrated.

As described earlier, the BA only needs to be capable of conveyinformation relating to the acknowledged packet. For example, in a casewhere portions that are not acknowledged are consecutive, theinformation amount can be decreased by compressing those portions. Forexample, in the example illustrated in b of FIG. 6, only the eighthpacket from the left is acknowledged and, thereafter, portions which arenot acknowledged are consecutive. Therefore, the transmission of thebits of the ninth and the following packets from the left can beomitted.

Accordingly, as indicated by an arrow 445, only respective pieces ofinformation illustrated within a dotted rectangle 444 can be saved inthe Block ACK 440 as the Bitmap 443 to be transmitted. In this case, theinformation processing apparatus 401 on the transmitting side can graspthe size of the bitmap included in the Block ACK 440 on the basis of theBitmap Size 442 included in the received Block ACK 440. Therefore, theinformation processing apparatus 401 on the transmitting side can graspthat the transmission of the bits of the ninth and the following packetsfrom the left is omitted.

In this manner, in a case where portions that are not acknowledged areconsecutive, the size of the BA can be made smaller by compressing thebitmap of those portions to transmit. With this configuration, thetransmission time can be shortened and the consumed power can bereduced. The occupation ratio of the band also can be reduced.

Here, FIG. 6 illustrates an example in which the information processingapparatus on the receiving side notifies the information processingapparatus on the transmitting side of the size of the BA bitmap as theBitmap Size 442. That is, in FIG. 6, an example of notifying the sizeitself of the BA bitmap is illustrated. However, instead of the sizeitself of the BA bitmap, a notification may be made on which ofrepresentative sizes of the BA bitmap is used, using informationspecified by a known rule (for example, information that accompanies).An example of this case is illustrated in FIG. 7.

[Example of Notifying Size of Bitmap Using Accompanying Information]

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of notification in a casewhere the information processing apparatus on the receiving sideaccording to the embodiment of the present technology notifies the sizeof the BA bitmap.

In a of FIG. 7, a part of a frame transmitted from the informationprocessing apparatus on the transmitting side to the informationprocessing apparatus on the receiving side is illustrated in asimplified manner. This frame includes Bitmap Size Information 445 and aBlock ACK Bitmap 446.

In b of FIG. 7, an example of relationships between the sizes of the BAbitmap (for example, 16 bits, 32 bits, 64 bits, . . . , and 2048 bits)and the information specified by a known rule (for example, 000, 001,010, . . . , and 111) is illustrated.

For example, the information processing apparatus on the receiving sidesaves the information specified by the known rule illustrated in b ofFIG. 7 in the Bitmap Size Information 445, thereby being able to notifythe information processing apparatus on the transmitting side of thesize of the BA bitmap. For example, the information processing apparatuson the receiving side saves “001” in the Bitmap Size Information 445 asthe size of the BA bitmap, thereby being able to notify the informationprocessing apparatus on the transmitting side of the size “32 bits” ofthe BA bitmap.

In this manner, the size of the BA bitmap (for example, 16 bits, 32bits, 64 bits, . . . , and 2048 bits) can be notified to the informationprocessing apparatus on the transmitting side using informationspecified by a known rule (for example, 000, 001, 010, . . . , and 111).

In addition, although FIG. 6 illustrates an example of compressing theBA bitmap by not transmitting unnecessary bits, the BA bitmap may becompressed by another compression method. For example, it is conceivableto digitize consecutive same bits to compress. An example of this caseis illustrated in FIG. 8.

[Example of Compressing BA Bitmap to Transmit]

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of compression in a casewhere the information processing apparatus on the receiving sideaccording to the embodiment of the present technology compresses the BAbitmap to transmit. Specifically, an example of digitizing the BA bitmapto compress is illustrated.

In a of FIG. 8, an example in which the information processing apparatus401 on the transmitting side transmits a data frame 450 to theinformation processing apparatus 402 on the receiving side and theinformation processing apparatus 402 on the receiving side transmits aBlock ACK 460 for the data frame 450 to the information processingapparatus 401 on the transmitting side is illustrated.

As illustrated in a of FIG. 8, a Starting Sequence Number 461, a BitmapSize 462, and a numerical value 463 representing a Block ACK Bitmap aresaved in the Block ACK 460. Note that the Starting Sequence Number 461and the Bitmap Size 462 correspond to the Starting Sequence Number 441and the Bitmap Size 442 illustrated in a of FIG. 6.

The numerical value 463 representing the Block ACK Bitmap refers toinformation indicating the Block ACK for the data frame 430. Forexample, information on the size set by the exchange illustrated in FIG.5 (for example, a numerical value illustrated in b of FIG. 8 (70112061(illustrated within a rectangle 464))) is saved as the numerical value463 representing the Block ACK Bitmap.

In b of FIG. 8, an example of the numerical value 463 representing theBlock ACK Bitmap saved in the Block ACK 460 is illustrated. In theexample illustrated in b of FIG. 8, “1” is saved in the area of asequence numeral corresponding to a packet which has been successfullyreceived among packets constituting the data frame 450. Meanwhile, “0”is saved in the area of a sequence numeral corresponding to a packetwhich has failed to be received among the packets constituting the dataframe 450.

In b of FIG. 8, an example of the bitmap in which seven “0s” are put oneafter another from the left, followed by one “1”, followed by two “0s”,and followed by six “1s” in order is illustrated. Accordingly, 0, 1, andthe numbers of these consecutive figures can be saved as a numericalvalue representing the bitmap instead of the bitmap.

For example, in b of FIG. 8, since seven “0s” are put one after anotherfrom the left in order, “70” is placed first. In addition, since one “1”follows the preceding figures, “11” is placed next to “70”. Likewise,since two “0s” follow the preceding figures, “20” is placed next to“7011”. Likewise, since six “1s” follow the preceding figures, “61” isplaced next to “701120”.

In this manner, in the example illustrated in b of FIG. 8, the numericalvalue representing the bitmap can be expressed as “70112061 (illustratedwithin the rectangle 464)”. Then, as indicated by an arrow 465, thenumerical value representing the bitmap “70112061” is saved in thenumerical value 463 representing the Block ACK Bitmap.

Here, for example, in a case where ten or more 0s or 1s are put oneafter another, it is also supposed that 0 and 1 cannot be distinguishedfrom the numbers of these consecutive figures. For example, if eleven“0s” are put one after another, these figures are expressed as 110 andthus the above-described rule cannot be applied. Accordingly,calculations of possible patterns may be sequentially performed untildivisions in which the size of the BA bitmap becomes the determinedvalue are found.

For example, each pattern of a case where the number of consecutive 0sand 1s is less than ten, a case where the number of consecutive 0s isten or more, and a case where the number of consecutive 1s is ten ormore is sequentially calculated. In a case where it is also supposedthat one hundred or more 0s and 1s are put one after another, thecalculation for this case is performed. Then, it is possible to finddivisions corresponding to a calculation result in which the size of theBA bitmap matches the determined value.

Note that, “07110216” in which 0 and 1, and the numbers of theseconsecutive figures are reversed may be designated as a numerical valuerepresenting the bitmap.

In addition, utilizing the fact that the BA bitmap consists of only “0”and “1”, only the first bit may be notified such that bit typeinformation is removed after that and only the number of consecutivefigures is notified. For example, 0000000100111111 can be digitized andcompressed as “0+7126” or “70126”.

In this manner, the size of the BA can be made smaller by digitizing andcompressing the bitmap. With this configuration, the transmission timecan be shortened and the consumed power can be reduced. The occupationratio of the band also can be reduced.

Note that, a compression method other than the respective compressionmethods described above can be used as a compression technique. Forexample, other lossless compression techniques may be used for thebitmap compression technique. Among lossless compression techniques, forexample, one using Shannon code or Huffman code as an entropy code orone using Defrate or Lempel-Ziv as a lexicographic compression techniquealso may be adopted.

The above example indicates a case of setting the size of the BA bitmapusing the ADDBA Request and the ADDBA Response exchanged between theinformation processing apparatus on the transmitting side and theinformation processing apparatus on the receiving side. An example ofdynamically setting the size of the BA bitmap using the data frame willbe indicated below.

[Example of Dynamically Determining Size of BA Bitmap]

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case of determining thesize of the BA bitmap using the data frame exchanged between theinformation processing apparatuses according to the embodiment of thepresent technology. That is, FIG. 9 illustrates an example oftransmitting information for determining the size of the BA bitmap asadditional information on the data frame such that the size of the BAbitmap is exchanged dynamically during data communication.

For example, the information processing apparatus 401 on thetransmitting side includes a Starting Sequence Number 471 and arequested Bitmap Size 472 into a data frame 470 to transmit to theinformation processing apparatus 402 on the receiving side.

Here, for example, it is also supposed that the information processingapparatus 401 on the transmitting side grasps the size of the BA bitmapusable by the information processing apparatus 402 on the receiving sidethrough the exchange of information made between the informationprocessing apparatus 401 on the transmitting side and the informationprocessing apparatus 402 on the receiving side. For example, by makingthe exchange illustrated in FIG. 5, the information processing apparatus401 on the transmitting side can grasp the size of the BA bitmap usableby the information processing apparatus 402 on the receiving side.

In this manner, in a case where the size of the BA bitmap usable by theinformation processing apparatus 402 on the receiving side is grasped,the information processing apparatus 401 on the transmitting side savesa value within the range of the size of this usable BA bitmap in therequested Bitmap Size 472 to transmit.

Meanwhile, it is also supposed that the information processing apparatus401 on the transmitting side does not grasp the size of the BA bitmapusable by the information processing apparatus 402 on the receivingside. In this case, similarly to the example illustrated in FIG. 5, theinformation processing apparatus 401 on the transmitting side determinesthe size of the BA bitmap to be requested to the information processingapparatus 402 on the receiving side. Then, the information processingapparatus 401 on the transmitting side saves that determined size of theBA bitmap in the requested Bitmap Size 472 to transmit. In this case,the information processing apparatus 401 on the transmitting side cangrasp the size of the BA bitmap usable by the information processingapparatus 402 on the receiving side on the basis of the informationincluded in a Block ACK 475 from the information processing apparatus402 on the receiving side.

In addition, the information processing apparatus 402 on the receivingside transmits the Block ACK 475 for the data frame 470 to theinformation processing apparatus 401 on the transmitting side. In thiscase, the information processing apparatus 402 on the receiving sidetransmits the Block ACK 475 on the basis of the Starting Sequence Number471 and the requested Bitmap Size 472 included in the received dataframe 470.

For example, the information processing apparatus 401 on thetransmitting side can request a large size of the BA bitmap in a casewhere the traffic load of an application is high in the own apparatus.Meanwhile, the information processing apparatus 401 on the transmittingside can request a small size of the BA bitmap in a case where thetraffic load of an application is low in the own apparatus. With thisconfiguration, an appropriate BA bitmap can be obtained.

[Another Example of Dynamically Determining Size of BA Bitmap]

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case of determiningthe size of the BA bitmap using the data frame exchanged between theinformation processing apparatuses according to the embodiment of thepresent technology. That is, FIG. 10 illustrates an example oftransmitting information for determining the size of the BA bitmap asadditional information on the BAR such that the size of the BA bitmap isexchanged dynamically during data communication.

For example, the information processing apparatus 401 on thetransmitting side transmits a data frame 480 to the informationprocessing apparatus 402 on the receiving side. Subsequently, theinformation processing apparatus 401 on the transmitting side includes aStarting Sequence Number 491 and a requested Bitmap Size 492 into a BAR490 to transmit to the information processing apparatus 402 on thereceiving side.

Here, similarly to the example illustrated in FIG. 9, it is alsosupposed that the information processing apparatus 401 on thetransmitting side grasps the size of the BA bitmap usable by theinformation processing apparatus 402 on the receiving side. In thiscase, the information processing apparatus 401 on the transmitting sidesaves a value within the range of that usable size of the BA bitmap inthe requested Bitmap Size 492 to transmit. Meanwhile, a case is alsosupposed in which the size of the BA bitmap usable by the informationprocessing apparatus 402 on the receiving side is not grasped. In thiscase, the information processing apparatus 401 on the transmitting sidefirst grasps the size of the BA bitmap usable by the informationprocessing apparatus 402 on the receiving side. Then, after that, theinformation processing apparatus 401 on the transmitting side saves avalue within the range of that usable size of the BA bitmap in therequested Bitmap Size 492 to transmit.

In addition, the information processing apparatus 402 on the receivingside transmits a Block ACK 495 for the data frame 480 to the informationprocessing apparatus 401 on the transmitting side. In this case, theinformation processing apparatus 402 on the receiving side transmits theBlock ACK 495 on the basis of the Starting Sequence Number 491 and therequested Bitmap Size 492 included in the received BAR 490.

In addition, similarly to the example illustrated in FIG. 9, forexample, the information processing apparatus 401 on the transmittingside can request the size of the BA bitmap in accordance with thetraffic load of an application in the own apparatus. With thisconfiguration, an appropriate BA bitmap can be obtained.

[Example of Action of Information Processing Apparatus on TransmittingSide]

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process procedure ofa determination process of determining the size of the BA bitmaprequested by the information processing apparatus 100 according to theembodiment of the present technology. That is, FIG. 11 illustrates anexample of the action in a case where the information processingapparatus 100 acts as an appliance on the transmitting side. Thisprocess procedure can be performed, for example, just before datatransmission each time data is transmitted.

First, the control unit 160 of the information processing apparatus 100works out the minimum sequence number (sequence numeral) whose ACK hasnot been notified from the information processing apparatus on thereceiving side among the packets to be transmitted (step S801). Then,the control unit 160 sets the minimum sequence number worked out aboveas a Starting Sequence Number (step S801).

Subsequently, the control unit 160 works out the maximum sequence number(maximum Sequence Number) among the packets to be transmitted (stepS802).

Subsequently, the control unit 160 determines the size of the BA bitmapto be requested to an appliance on the receiving side on the basis ofthe set Starting Sequence Number and the maximum sequence number workedout (step S803).

For example, the control unit 160 can work out a size BMS 1 of the BAbitmap to be requested to the appliance on the receiving side using thefollowing expression.

BMS 1=round((maximum Sequence Number−Starting Sequence Number+1)/8)

Here, round represents round-up at the decimal point. In addition, sinceone byte includes eight bits (minimum octet), the value of the packet tobe transmitted is divided by eight in Expression 1. Note that steps S801to S803 are an example of a control procedure described in the claims.

In this manner, the control unit 160 can control to determine theinformation amount (for example, the size of the BA bitmap) to be usedfor the receipt acknowledgment response (for example, the BA) to thepackets to be transmitted on the basis of the information relating tothese packets. This example illustrates a case where the informationrelating to the packets to be transmitted is designated as the maximumSequence Number and the Starting Sequence Number. Note that theinformation relating to the packets to be transmitted can be designatedas, for example, the number of the packets to be transmitted or a lengthfrom a start sequence numeral to an end sequence numeral among sequencenumerals corresponding to the packets to be transmitted. In addition,the packets to be transmitted can be designated as packets which havenot been successfully transmitted to an appliance as the transmissiondestination of these packets.

In addition, the control unit 160 notifies the appliance as thetransmission destination of the packets of that determined informationamount (for example, the size of the BA bitmap). In this case, thecontrol unit 160 can include that determined information amount into apredetermined frame to transmit. The predetermined frame can bedesignated as one of, for example, the ADDBA Request 410 (illustrated inFIG. 5), the data frame 470 (illustrated in FIG. 9), the Block ACKRequest 490 (illustrated in FIG. 10), and aggregated frames. Forexample, in a case where that determined information amount is includedinto the aggregated frame and transmitted, the control unit 160 caninclude the information amount into at least a part of the aggregatedframes to transmit. Here, an existing frame defined in IEEE 802.11 or anewly defined frame may be adopted as a frame in which that determinedinformation amount is saved (a part of the aggregated frames). With thisconfiguration, for example, even in a case where the frame in which thatdetermined information amount is saved is aggregated with the data frameor another frame, that determined information amount (for example, thesize of the BA bitmap) can be notified to the appliance as thetransmission destination of the packets.

In addition, in a case where an information amount different from thatdetermined information amount (for example, the size of the BA bitmap)is notified from the appliance as the transmission destination afternotifying this information amount, the control unit 160 newly determinesthis different information amount as the information amount to be usedfor the receipt acknowledgment response.

In addition, the control unit 160 can control to concatenate packets inagreement with the determined information amount (for example, the sizeof the BA bitmap) among the packets to be transmitted and transmit theconcatenated packets to the appliance as the transmission destination.

In addition, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, for example, the controlunit 160 may determine the information amount for packets each time thepackets are transmitted to the appliance as the transmission destinationand notify the appliance as the transmission destination of thisdetermined information amount.

In addition, similarly to the examples illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, ina case where the traffic load of an application is high in theinformation processing apparatus 100, a larger size of the BA bitmapwith a threshold value as a reference may be determined. Meanwhile, in acase where the traffic load of an application is low in the informationprocessing apparatus 100, a smaller size of the BA bitmap with thethreshold value as a reference may be determined. In addition, aplurality of threshold values may be used as the threshold value. Inaddition, the size of the BA bitmap may be determined in accordance withan application being used and the communication environment of theinformation processing apparatus 100 (for example, the degree ofcongestion and the number of connected appliances). That is, the controlunit 160 may control to determine the size of the BA bitmap on the basisof the traffic load of an application in the information processingapparatus 100. In addition, the control unit 160 may control todetermine the size of the BA bitmap on the basis of the type of anapplication being used. In addition, the control unit 160 may control todetermine the size of the BA bitmap on the basis of the communicationenvironment of the information processing apparatus 100 (for example,the degree of congestion and the number of connected appliances).

[Example of Action of Information Processing Apparatus on ReceivingSide]

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process procedure ofa determination process of determining the size of the BA bitmap to beused for a return by the information processing apparatus 100 accordingto the embodiment of the present technology. That is, FIG. 12illustrates an example of the action in a case where the informationprocessing apparatus 100 acts as an appliance on the receiving side.This process procedure can be performed, for example, each time data isreceived.

First, the control unit 160 of the information processing apparatus 100acquires the size of the BA bitmap requested from an appliance on thetransmitting side (step S811). For example, the control unit 160acquires a requested Bitmap Size (for example, the requested Bitmap Size412 illustrated in FIG. 5) included in a received frame.

Subsequently, the control unit 160 judges whether transmission of the BA(transmission from the own apparatus) with the size of the BA bitmaprequested from the appliance on the transmitting side is feasible (stepS812).

In a case where transmission of the BA with the requested size of the BAbitmap is feasible (step S812), the control unit 160 transmits the samesize as the size of the BA bitmap requested from the appliance on thetransmitting side to the information processing apparatus on thetransmitting side (step S813). For example, the control unit 160 savesthe same size as the size of the BA bitmap requested from the applianceon the transmitting side in a usable Bitmap Size (for example, the usedBitmap Size 422 illustrated in FIG. 5) of the frame to transmit to theinformation processing apparatus on the transmitting side.

In a case where transmission of the BA with the requested size of the BAbitmap is not feasible (step S812), the control unit 160 transmits thevalue of the maximum size of the bitmap that can be secured by the ownapparatus to the information processing apparatus on the transmittingside (step S814). For example, the control unit 160 saves the value ofthe maximum bitmap size that can be secured by the own apparatus in ausable Bitmap Size (for example, the used Bitmap Size 422 illustrated inFIG. 5) of the frame to transmit to the information processing apparatuson the transmitting side.

As described above, the control unit 160 controls to determine theinformation amount to be used for the receipt acknowledgment response tothe packets transmitted from the appliance on the transmitting side ofthe packets on the basis of the information amount notified from thisappliance (the information amount to be used for the receiptacknowledgment response to the packets). Then, the control unit 160controls to return the receipt acknowledgment response to the packetstransmitted from the appliance on the transmitting side to the applianceon the transmitting side on the basis of that determined informationamount. In this case, in a case where the information amount notifiedfrom the appliance on the transmitting side exceeds the performance ofthe information processing apparatus 100 related to wirelesscommunication, the control unit 160 determines an information amountdifferent from the information amount notified from the appliance on thetransmitting side within the range of that performance. Then, thecontrol unit 160 notifies the appliance on the transmitting side of thatdetermined information amount.

[Example of Action of Information Processing Apparatus on ReceivingSide]

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process procedure ofa determination process of determining whether the informationprocessing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the presenttechnology compresses the BA bitmap to transmit. That is, FIG. 13illustrates an example of the action in a case where the informationprocessing apparatus 100 acts as an appliance on the receiving side.This process procedure can be performed, for example, each time data istransmitted.

First, the control unit 160 of the information processing apparatus 100compares the information amount of the BA bitmap (the information amountof the BA bitmap before compression) with the information amount in thecase of compressing the BA bitmap (the information amount of thecompressed BA bitmap) (step S821).

In a case where the information amount of the compressed BA bitmap issmaller than the information amount of the BA bitmap before compression(step S821), the control unit 160 saves information in which the BAbitmap is compressed in a frame and transmits the information to anappliance on the transmitting side (step S822). For example, the BAbitmap can be compressed and saved in a frame as illustrated in FIGS. 6and 8.

In a case where the information amount of the compressed BA bitmap isnot smaller than the information amount of the BA bitmap beforecompression (step S821), the control unit 160 saves the BA bitmap in aframe without compressing the BA bitmap to transmit to the appliance onthe transmitting side (step S823).

As described above, in a case where the receipt acknowledgment response(for example, the BA) to the received packets is to be transmitted, thecontrol unit 160 can control to compress the receipt acknowledgmentrequest to transmit on the basis of the information amount to be usedfor that receipt acknowledgment response (for example, the size of theBA bitmap). In this case, in a case where that compressed receiptacknowledgment response is received from the information processingapparatus 100, the appliance as the transmission source can acquire thecontents of the compressed receipt acknowledgment response that has beenreceived on the basis of the information amount determined by the ownapparatus.

Here, as described earlier, in the current IEEE 802.11 specifications,the size of the BA bitmap is a fixed value of 64 bits. Therefore, forexample, even if the traffic load is high and a transmission request for64 packets or more occurs during a certain time, there are cases wherethe transmission of the next packet is blocked until the first 64packets are deemed to be successfully transmitted. In addition, even ina case where the traffic load is low and only 64 or fewer packets arecommunicated during a certain time, unnecessary information will betransmitted. Accordingly, the embodiment of the present technologyprovides a protocol that can dynamically determine the BA bitmap.

As described thus far, according to the embodiment of the presenttechnology, it is possible to realize a protocol for determining thesize of the BA bitmap. In addition, a compressed bitmap can betransmitted.

Furthermore, according to the embodiment of the present technology, itis possible to appropriately set the size of the bitmap of the ACK. Withthis configuration, the efficiency of wireless communication can beenhanced and the transmission time of the ACK can be optimized.

2. Application Examples

The technology according to the present disclosure can be applied to avariety of products. For example, the information processing apparatuses100, 401, and 402 may be realized as mobile terminals such assmartphones, tablet personal computers (PCs), note PCs, portable gameterminals, or digital cameras, fixed terminals such as televisionreceivers, printers, digital scanners, or network storages, orin-vehicle terminals such as car navigation apparatuses. In addition,the information processing apparatuses 100, 401, and 402 may be realizedas terminals that perform machine-to-machine (M2M) communication (alsoreferred to as machine type communication (MTC) terminals), such assmart meters, vending machines, remote monitoring apparatuses, orpoint-of-sale (POS) terminals. Furthermore, the information processingapparatuses 100, 401, and 402 may be wireless communication modules (forexample, integrated circuit modules constituted by single dies) mountedon these terminals.

Meanwhile, for example, the information processing apparatuses 100, 401,and 402 may be realized as wireless LAN access points (also referred toas wireless base stations) that have a router function or do not have arouter function. In addition, the information processing apparatuses100, 401, and 402 may be realized as mobile wireless LAN routers.Furthermore, the information processing apparatuses 100, 401, and 402may be wireless communication modules (for example, integrated circuitmodules constituted by single dies) mounted on these apparatuses.

2-1. First Application Example

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematicconfiguration of a smartphone 900 to which the technology according tothe present disclosure can be applied. The smartphone 900 is providedwith a processor 901, a memory 902, a storage 903, an externalconnection interface 904, a camera 906, a sensor 907, a microphone 908,an input device 909, a display device 910, a speaker 911, a wirelesscommunication interface 913, an antenna switch 914, an antenna 915, abus 917, a battery 918, and an auxiliary controller 919.

The processor 901 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU)or a system-on-chip (SoC) and controls functions of an application layerand other layers of the smartphone 900. The memory 902 includes a randomaccess memory (RAM) and a read only memory (ROM) and stores programs anddata to be executed by the processor 901. The storage 903 can include astorage medium such as a semiconductor memory or a hard disk. Theexternal connection interface 904 is an interface for connecting anexternal device such as a memory card or a universal serial bus (USB)device to the smartphone 900.

The camera 906 has an image pickup element such as a charge coupleddevice (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) andgenerates a picked-up image. The sensor 907 can include a group ofsensors such as a positioning sensor, a gyro sensor, a geomagneticsensor, and an acceleration sensor. The microphone 908 transforms audioinput to the smartphone 900 into an audio signal. The input device 909includes, for example, a touch sensor that detects a touch on a screenof the display device 910, a keypad, a keyboard, a button, or a switchand accepts an operation or information input from a user. The displaydevice 910 has a screen such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or anorganic light emitting diode (OLED) display and displays an output imagefrom the smartphone 900. The speaker 911 transforms an audio signaloutput from the smartphone 900 into audio.

The wireless communication interface 913 supports one or more ofwireless LAN standards such as IEEE 802.11a, 11b, 11g, 11n, 11ac, and11ad and executes wireless communication. In an infrastructure mode, thewireless communication interface 913 can communicate with anotherapparatus via a wireless LAN access point. Meanwhile, the wirelesscommunication interface 913 can directly communicate with anotherapparatus in an ad hoc mode or a direct communication mode such as Wi-FiDirect. Note that, in Wi-Fi Direct, one of two terminals acts as anaccess point unlike the ad hoc mode, but communication is performeddirectly between these terminals. Typically, the wireless communicationinterface 913 can include a baseband processor, a radio frequency (RF)circuit, a power amplifier, and the like. The wireless communicationinterface 913 may be a one-chip module in which a memory configured tostore a communication control program, a processor configured to executethe program, and a relevant circuit are integrated. The wirelesscommunication interface 913 may support other types of wirelesscommunication techniques in addition to a wireless LAN technique, suchas a short range wireless communication technique, a close proximitywireless communication technique, and a cellular communicationtechnique. The antenna switch 914 switches a connection destination ofthe antenna 915 among a plurality of circuits (for example, circuits fordifferent wireless communication techniques) included in the wirelesscommunication interface 913. The antenna 915 has a single antennaelement or a plurality of antenna elements (for example, a plurality ofantenna elements constituting a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)antenna) and is used by the wireless communication interface 913 totransmit and receive a wireless signal.

Note that the smartphone 900 is not limited to the example in FIG. 14and may be provided with a plurality of antennas (for example, anantenna for the wireless LAN and an antenna for the close proximitywireless communication technique). In that case, the antenna switch 914may be omitted from the configuration of the smartphone 900.

The bus 917 interconnects the processor 901, the memory 902, the storage903, the external connection interface 904, the camera 906, the sensor907, the microphone 908, the input device 909, the display device 910,the speaker 911, the wireless communication interface 913, and theauxiliary controller 919. The battery 918 supplies power to each blockof the smartphone 900 illustrated in FIG. 14 via a power supply linepartially indicated by broken lines in FIG. 14. The auxiliary controller919 causes minimum necessary functions of the smartphone 900 to act, forexample, during a sleep mode.

In the smartphone 900 illustrated in FIG. 14, the control unit 160described with reference to FIG. 1 may be implemented in the wirelesscommunication interface 913. In addition, at least a part of thefunctions thereof may be implemented in the processor 901 or theauxiliary controller 919. For example, by determining the BA bitmap inthe smartphone 900, the power consumption of the battery 918 can belowered.

Note that the smartphone 900 may act as a wireless access point(software AP) using the processor 901 executing an access point functionat an application level. In addition, the wireless communicationinterface 913 may have a wireless access point function.

2-2. Second Application Example

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematicconfiguration of a car navigation apparatus 920 to which the technologyaccording to the present disclosure can be applied. The car navigationapparatus 920 is provided with a processor 921, a memory 922, a globalpositioning system (GPS) module 924, a sensor 925, a data interface 926,a content player 927, a storage medium interface 928, an input device929, a display device 930, a speaker 931, a wireless communicationinterface 933, an antenna switch 934, an antenna 935, and a battery 938.

The processor 921 may be, for example, a CPU or an SoC and controls anavigation function and other functions of the car navigation apparatus920. The memory 922 includes a RAM and a ROM and stores programs anddata to be executed by the processor 921.

The GPS module 924 measures the position (for example, latitude,longitude, and altitude) of the car navigation apparatus 920 using a GPSsignal received from a GPS satellite. The sensor 925 can include a groupof sensors such as a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and a barometricsensor. The data interface 926 is connected, for example, to anin-vehicle network 941 via a port not illustrated and acquires datagenerated by a vehicle, such as vehicle speed data.

The content player 927 reproduces content stored in a storage medium(for example, a CD or a DVD) inserted in the storage medium interface928. The input device 929 includes, for example, a touch sensor thatdetects a touch on a screen of the display device 930, a button, or aswitch and accepts an operation or information input from a user. Thedisplay device 930 has a screen such as an LCD or an OLED display anddisplays the navigation function or an image of the content beingreproduced. The speaker 931 outputs audio of the navigation function orthe content being reproduced.

The wireless communication interface 933 supports one or more ofwireless LAN standards such as IEEE 802.11a, 11b, 11g, 11n, 11ac, and11ad and executes wireless communication. In the infrastructure mode,the wireless communication interface 933 can communicate with anotherapparatus via a wireless LAN access point. Meanwhile, the wirelesscommunication interface 933 can directly communicate with anotherapparatus in the ad hoc mode or the direct communication mode such asWi-Fi Direct. Typically, the wireless communication interface 933 caninclude a baseband processor, an RF circuit, a power amplifier, and thelike. The wireless communication interface 933 may be a one-chip modulein which a memory configured to store a communication control program, aprocessor configured to execute the program, and a relevant circuit areintegrated. The wireless communication interface 933 may support othertypes of wireless communication techniques in addition to the wirelessLAN technique, such as the short range wireless communication technique,the close proximity wireless communication technique, and the cellularcommunication technique. The antenna switch 934 switches a connectiondestination of the antenna 935 among a plurality of circuits included inthe wireless communication interface 933. The antenna 935 has a singleantenna element or a plurality of antenna elements and is used by thewireless communication interface 933 to transmit and receive a wirelesssignal.

Note that the car navigation apparatus 920 is not limited to the examplein FIG. 15 and may be provided with a plurality of antennas. In thatcase, the antenna switch 934 may be omitted from the configuration ofthe car navigation apparatus 920.

The battery 938 supplies power to each block of the car navigationapparatus 920 illustrated in FIG. 15 via a power supply line partiallyindicated by broken lines in FIG. 15. In addition, the battery 938accumulates power supplied from the vehicle.

In the car navigation apparatus 920 illustrated in FIG. 15, the controlunit 160 described with reference to FIG. 1 may be implemented in thewireless communication interface 933. In addition, at least a part ofthe functions thereof may be implemented in the processor 921. Forexample, by determining the BA bitmap in the car navigation apparatus920, the power consumption of the battery 938 can be lowered.

Furthermore, the wireless communication interface 933 may act as theabove-described information processing apparatuses 100, 401, and 402 soas to provide a wireless connection to a terminal carried by a userriding in the vehicle.

Additionally, the technology according to the present disclosure may berealized as an in-vehicle system (or vehicle) 940 including one or moreblocks of the car navigation apparatus 920 described above, thein-vehicle network 941, and a vehicle-side module 942. The vehicle-sidemodule 942 generates vehicle-side data such as vehicle speed, enginespeed, or failure information and outputs the generated data to thein-vehicle network 941.

2-3. Third Application Example

FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematicconfiguration of a wireless access point 950 to which the technologyaccording to the present disclosure can be applied. The wireless accesspoint 950 is provided with a controller 951, a memory 952, an inputdevice 954, a display device 955, a network interface 957, a wirelesscommunication interface 963, an antenna switch 964, and an antenna 965.

The controller 951 may be, for example, a CPU or a digital signalprocessor (DSP) and causes a variety of functions of an Internetprotocol (IP) layer and upper layers of the wireless access point 950(for example, access restriction, routing, encryption, firewall, and logmanagement) to act. The memory 952 includes a RAM and a ROM and stores aprogram to be executed by the controller 951 and a variety of types ofcontrol data (for example, a terminal list, a routing table, anencryption key, a security setting, and a log).

The input device 954 includes, for example, a button or a switch andaccepts an operation from a user. The display device 955 includes an LEDlamp and the like and displays the action status of the wireless accesspoint 950.

The network interface 957 is a wired communication interface for thewireless access point 950 to connect to a wired communication network958. The network interface 957 may have a plurality of connection ports.The wired communication network 958 may be a LAN such as Ethernet(registered trademark) or a wide area network (WAN).

The wireless communication interface 963 supports one or more ofwireless LAN standards such as IEEE 802.11a, 11b, 11g, 11n, 11ac, and11ad and provides a wireless connection to a neighboring terminal as anaccess point. Typically, the wireless communication interface 963 caninclude a baseband processor, an RF circuit, a power amplifier, and thelike. The wireless communication interface 963 may be a one-chip modulein which a memory configured to store a communication control program, aprocessor configured to execute the program, and a relevant circuit areintegrated. The antenna switch 964 switches a connection destination ofthe antenna 965 among a plurality of circuits included in the wirelesscommunication interface 963. The antenna 965 has a single antennaelement or a plurality of antenna elements and is used by the wirelesscommunication interface 963 to transmit and receive a wireless signal.

In the wireless access point 950 illustrated in FIG. 16, the controlunit 160 described with reference to FIG. 1 may be implemented in thewireless communication interface 963. In addition, at least a part ofthe functions thereof may be implemented in the controller 951. Forexample, by determining the BA bitmap in the wireless access point 950,the efficiency of wireless communication can be improved.

Note that the above-described embodiments illustrate examples forembodying the present technology and matters in the embodiments andinvention specifying matters in the claims individually havecorrespondence relationships. Likewise, the invention specifying mattersin the claims and the matters in the embodiments of the presenttechnology denoted by the same names as those in the claims individuallyhave correspondence relationships. However, the present technology isnot limited to the embodiments and can be embodied by subjecting theembodiments to various modifications without departing from the gistthereof.

In addition, the process procedures described in the above embodimentsmay be regarded as a method having these series of procedures andadditionally, may be regarded as a program for causing a computer toexecute these series of procedures or as a recording medium storing theprogram. As this recording medium, for example, a compact disc (CD), amini disc (MD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a memory card, or aBlu-ray (registered trademark) disc can be used.

Note that the effects described in the present description merely serveas examples and not construed to be limited. There may be another effectas well.

Note that the present technology can be also configured as describedbelow.

-   (1)

An information processing apparatus including a control unit thatcontrols to determine an information amount to be used for a receiptacknowledgment response to packets to be transmitted on the basis ofinformation relating to the packets.

-   (2)

The information processing apparatus according to (1) above, in whichthe information relating to the packets to be transmitted is the numberof the packets to be transmitted or a length from a start sequencenumeral to an end sequence numeral among sequence numerals correspondingto the packets to be transmitted.

-   (3)

The information processing apparatus according to (1) or (2) above, inwhich the packets to be transmitted are packets that have not beensuccessfully transmitted to an appliance as a transmission destinationof the packets.

-   (4)

The information processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (3)above, in which the control unit controls to concatenate packets inagreement with the determined information amount among the packets to betransmitted and transmit the concatenated packets to an appliance as atransmission destination.

-   (5)

The information processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (4)above, in which the control unit controls to concatenate the packets tobe transmitted and transmit the concatenated packets to an appliance asa transmission destination, while determining a size of a bitmap of aBlock ACK to be returned to the information processing apparatus by theappliance as the information amount.

-   (6)

The information processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (5)above, in which the control unit notifies an appliance as a transmissiondestination of the packets of the determined information amount.

-   (7)

The information processing apparatus according to (6) above, in whichthe control unit includes the determined information amount into apredetermined frame to transmit to the appliance.

-   (8)

The information processing apparatus according to (6) or (7) above, inwhich the control unit includes the determined information amount intoone of an ADDBA Request, a data frame, a Block ACK Request, and at leastone of a plurality of frames in a concatenated frame in which theplurality of frames are concatenated, to transmit to the appliance.

-   (9)

The information processing apparatus according to any one of (6) to (8)above, in which, in a case where an information amount different fromthe information amount is notified from the appliance after notifyingthe information amount, the control unit newly determines the differentinformation amount as the information amount to be used for the receiptacknowledgment response.

-   (10)

The information processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (9)above, in which the control unit controls to determine the informationamount for the packets each time the packets are transmitted to anappliance as a transmission destination and notify the appliance of thedetermined information amount.

-   (11)

The information processing apparatus according to any one of (1) to (10)above, in which the control unit determines the information amount to beused when an appliance as a transmission destination of the packetsreturns the receipt acknowledgment response.

-   (12)

The information processing apparatus according to (11) above, in which,in a case where the receipt acknowledgment response that is compressedis received from the appliance, the control unit acquires contents ofthe compressed receipt acknowledgment response that has been received onthe basis of the determined information amount.

-   (13)

An information processing apparatus including a control unit thatcontrols to determine an information amount to be used for a receiptacknowledgment response to packets transmitted from an appliance as atransmission source of the packets on the basis of an information amountto be used for the receipt acknowledgment response to the packetsnotified from the appliance.

-   (14)

The information processing apparatus according to (13) above, in which,in a case where the information amount notified from the applianceexceeds performance of the information processing apparatus related towireless communication, the control unit determines an informationamount different from the information amount notified from the appliancewithin a range of the performance and notifies the appliance of thedetermined information amount.

-   (15)

An information processing apparatus including a control unit thatcontrols to compress the receipt acknowledgment request to transmit onthe basis of an information amount to be used for a receiptacknowledgment response in a case where the receipt acknowledgmentresponse to received packets is to be transmitted.

-   (16)

A communication system including:

a first information processing apparatus that determines an informationamount to be used for a receipt acknowledgment response to packets to betransmitted to a second information processing apparatus on the basis ofinformation relating to the packets and notifies the second informationprocessing apparatus of the determined information amount; and

the second information processing apparatus that returns the receiptacknowledgment response to the packets transmitted from the firstinformation processing apparatus to the first information processingapparatus on the basis of the information amount notified from the firstinformation processing apparatus.

-   (17)

An information processing method including a control procedure ofdetermining an information amount to be used for a receiptacknowledgment response to packets to be transmitted on the basis ofinformation relating to the packets.

-   (18)

A program for causing a computer to execute a control procedure ofdetermining an information amount to be used for a receiptacknowledgment response to packets to be transmitted on the basis ofinformation relating to the packets.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   100, 401, 402 Information processing apparatus-   110 Data processing unit-   120 Signal processing unit-   130 Wireless interface unit-   140 Antenna-   150 Storage unit-   160 Control unit-   900 Smartphone-   901 Processor-   902 Memory-   903 Storage-   904 External connection interface-   906 Camera-   907 Sensor-   908 Microphone-   909 Input device-   910 Display device-   911 Speaker-   913 Wireless communication interface-   914 Antenna switch-   915 Antenna-   917 Bus-   918 Battery-   919 Auxiliary controller-   920 Car navigation apparatus-   921 Processor-   922 Memory-   924 GPS module-   925 Sensor-   926 Data interface-   927 Content player-   928 Storage medium interface-   929 Input device-   930 Display device-   931 Speaker-   933 Wireless communication interface-   934 Antenna switch-   935 Antenna-   938 Battery-   941 In-vehicle network-   942 Vehicle-side module-   950 Wireless access point-   951 Controller-   952 Memory-   954 Input device-   955 Display device-   957 Network interface-   958 Wired communication network-   963 Wireless communication interface-   964 Antenna switch-   965 Antenna

1. An information processing apparatus comprising a control unit thatcontrols to determine an information amount to be used for a receiptacknowledgment response to packets to be transmitted on the basis ofinformation relating to the packets.
 2. The information processingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information relating to thepackets to be transmitted is the number of the packets to be transmittedor a length from a start sequence numeral to an end sequence numeralamong sequence numerals corresponding to the packets to be transmitted.3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe packets to be transmitted are packets that have not beensuccessfully transmitted to an appliance as a transmission destinationof the packets.
 4. The information processing apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the control unit controls to concatenate packets inagreement with the determined information amount among the packets to betransmitted and transmit the concatenated packets to an appliance as atransmission destination.
 5. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls to concatenatethe packets to be transmitted and transmit the concatenated packets toan appliance as a transmission destination, while determining a size ofa bitmap of a Block ACK to be returned to the information processingapparatus by the appliance as the information amount.
 6. The informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unitnotifies an appliance as a transmission destination of the packets ofthe determined information amount.
 7. The information processingapparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control unit includes thedetermined information amount into a predetermined frame to transmit tothe appliance.
 8. The information processing apparatus according toclaim 6, wherein the control unit includes the determined informationamount into one of an ADDBA Request, a data frame, a Block ACK Request,and at least one of a plurality of frames in a concatenated frame inwhich the plurality of frames are concatenated, to transmit to theappliance.
 9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6,wherein, in a case where an information amount different from theinformation amount is notified from the appliance after notifying theinformation amount, the control unit newly determines the differentinformation amount as the information amount to be used for the receiptacknowledgment response.
 10. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls to determine theinformation amount for the packets each time the packets are transmittedto an appliance as a transmission destination and notify the applianceof the determined information amount.
 11. The information processingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines theinformation amount to be used when an appliance as a transmissiondestination of the packets returns the receipt acknowledgment response.12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein,in a case where the receipt acknowledgment response that is compressedis received from the appliance, the control unit acquires contents ofthe compressed receipt acknowledgment response that has been received onthe basis of the determined information amount.
 13. An informationprocessing apparatus comprising a control unit that controls todetermine an information amount to be used for a receipt acknowledgmentresponse to packets transmitted from an appliance as a transmissionsource of the packets on the basis of an information amount to be usedfor the receipt acknowledgment response to the packets notified from theappliance.
 14. The information processing apparatus according to claim13, wherein, in a case where the information amount notified from theappliance exceeds performance of the information processing apparatusrelated to wireless communication, the control unit determines aninformation amount different from the information amount notified fromthe appliance within a range of the performance and notifies theappliance of the determined information amount.
 15. A communicationsystem comprising: a first information processing apparatus thatdetermines an information amount to be used for a receipt acknowledgmentresponse to packets to be transmitted to a second information processingapparatus on the basis of information relating to the packets andnotifies the second information processing apparatus of the determinedinformation amount; and the second information processing apparatus thatreturns the receipt acknowledgment response to the packets transmittedfrom the first information processing apparatus to the first informationprocessing apparatus on the basis of the information amount notifiedfrom the first information processing apparatus.